High Scores

Sound

You can disable the sound in the game by pressing either the round speaker graphic or the equalizer graphic. To enable sound you must have both the iPhone sound switch set to active and also the game sound set to active.

You can disable the Sound FX, Screams and Vibration from the Sounds section of the Menu.

Controls

You can play Alien Horde in 3 different ways:

On-Screen Controls

In both portrait and landscape mode you have a set of buttons that will let you turn the marine to face the oncoming aliens. Holding down the buttons will accelerate the turn but this will have the effect of making it more difficult to stop. Tapping the button for a short time will allow you to aim more accurately.

Accelerometer Based Rotation

To use the Accelerometer you must first activate it in the Controls section of the Menu. You can now tilt the iPhone left and right to turn the marine. The more you tilt the iPhone the faster you will turn. You can also use the on-screen controls to fine tune your aim and slow the rate of rotation.

Compass / Gyroscope Based Rotation

The Compass control system will only work on the iPhone 3GS and iPad as it uses the device's onboard compass. The Gyroscope will work on iPhone 4, iPad 2 and supported Hardware. You must select the Compass or Gyro in the Controls section of the Menu.

The compass may require calibrating before you can use it with any accuracy. The iPhone will usually flash a message on the screen informing you of this. To calibrate the compass you must wave the iPhone in a figure of 8 motion. Electrical equipment and metal structures can also interfere with the normal operation of the compass.

We recommend that the compass / gyroscope is used only for fun or in combination with the on-screen controls so you do not get dizzy playing the game. Ensure you are standing in a clear space and are not obstructed for the full 360 degrees around you.

If you find you are accidentally switching orientations while playing the game you can lock the orientation in the Orientation section of the Menu. The iPhone will remember your control and orientation preferences for future sessions.

Orientation

You can play Alien Horde in both portrait and landscape mode. Rotate the iPhone to your desired orientation and Alien Horde will rotate the display to match. The placement of the buttons is different from portrait to landscape but the functions of the buttons remains the same.

You can disable auto rotation in the Orientation section of the Menu by selecting your desired orientation. Using this feature can make it easier to play using the compass. The iPhone will remember this setting for future sessions of Alien Horde.

The Game

Targeting

Use the on-screen controls, the accelerometer or the compass to rotate your field of view. To target an alien you must be facing it. Wait for the motion sensor to detect an alien and then turn to face it. If the alien is inside the targeting ring the sensor will attempt to lock on and you will see a red targeting circle focus on the alien.

Once the sensor has locked on to an alien you can kill it by pressing the shoot button. Each time you shoot your rifle your ammo decreases by 10 and once you reach 0 you will automatically reload. You are vulnerable while reloading as it takes a few seconds to load a new magazine. You have an unlimited amount of ammunition however and you will never run out of bullets.

Life

Your life is measured in shotgun shells and you start the game with 3. Each time an alien gets too close you will automatically fire the shotgun, killing the alien and saving yourself from certain death. Once you are out of shells you are defenseless against the next close encounter and you will ultimately die. Every 500 points you are rewarded with an extra shotgun shell and you will see a 1UP over the last alien killed.

Score

The aim of the game is to kill as many aliens as possible, it is a fight to the death, you have no escape and no other options. For every alien you kill you are rewarded 10 points, every 500 points you get an extra life. Once you die you will be shown your score and also where that score ranks in the Alien Horde online score tables.

Alien Horde also saves your top 4 high scores and the High Scores section of the menu will allow you to check your current rank against other players from around the world. When on the High Scores section of the Menu press the Tick button to check your rank.

You must have internet access for Alien Horde to check your scores against the online high scores database.

Saving

If you quit Alien Horde whilst playing a game your progress will automatically be saved. The next time you run Alien Horde you will be given the option to Continue which will load the saved game. Ensure that when you are saving a game you have no aliens close to you as you might get a nasty surprise the next time you play the game.

Compatibility

Alien Horde is designed to work on the following devices:

iPhone 3G

iPhone 3GS

iPhone 4

iPod Touch

iPad

iPad 2

Alien Horde will not run on the original iPhone or iPod Touch, only on later models. iOS3 or above is also required to play the game.

The compass control system will only work with devices with an onboard compass such as the iPhone 3GS and iPad.

The gyroscope control system will only work with devices with an onboard gyroscope such as the iPhone 4 and iPad 2.